May's Best New Music

Our monthly roundup looks at the best albums released over the past month. For reviews of these and many more albums, visit Metacritic Music.

The best albums released this month

Below, we look at the best reviewed albums released in May 2010. For each album below, we list the percentages of "great" critic reviews (with an individual critic score above 80), "good" critic reviews (61-80), "mixed" reviews (40-60), and "bad" reviews (below 40). Note that all song download links go to Hype Machine, where you can find the indicated MP3s on a variety of music blogs.

Monáe's full-length debut is an Afrofuturistic concept album that continues the journey of her Metropolis EP alter ego, android Cyndi Mayweather, through a mind-blowing array of genres.

What the critics liked: In this ambitious, cinematic opus about "a cybergirl's struggle to love in the futuristic city of Metropolis," Monáe playfully leaps from cabaret to gospel to rap with a versatility that would make mentor/collaborator Big Boi's head spin.

What they didn't: Considering that it's one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, there are few detractors, but Prefix noted that "Monáe has crafted an album that freely borrows ideas without adding much to the process."

Producer FlyLo's electronica space opera includes guest spots by the likes of his cousin, Ravi Coltrane, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

What the critics liked: The laws of physics and music are both challenged in this quantum-like collage that encompasses dubstep, jazz, IDM, hip-hop, dance, and countless other genres; more than one critic has warned that it's not for casual listening.

What they didn't: Nothing. Reviewers wore out their superlatives when discussing this album.

What the critics liked: The album is at its best with its garage-band combo of bluesy ballads and occasional sonic experimentation; überproducer Danger Mouse's influence on single "Tighten Up" will no doubt provide the band an influx of both new fans and needle-drop cash.

What they didn't: The album's 115 minutes go on too long, and the newer production polish isn't for everyone.

This seventh album by this Athens, GA experimental band consists of seven tracks that interconnect to form a single funereal whole.

What the critics liked: Critics agreed that the album was mournful, sad, doom-filled, gothic, downtrodden, gloomy, heartbreaking, "heavily depressing" (The Number of the Blog), and "deeply disturbing" (Popmatters)—but compellingly so.

What they didn't: Not much—Apparently, music critics are down with melancholy.

Mark E. Smith brings together what he calls The Fall's "best lineup" for the 34-year-old Manchester post-punk outfit's 28th album.

What the critics liked: Clocking in at just under an hour, this noisy and unapologetic album is a solid Fall effort, with Smith's surreal rants occasionally veering into the travails of an aging rocker.

What they didn't: A few critics seemed mildly disappointed by some of the tracks, but only in comparison to the rest of the record.

The Metascore is a weighted average of scores from top professional critics, on a scale from 0 (bad) to 100 (good). User scores represent an average of scores assigned by Metacritic.com site visitors on a scale from 0 (bad) to 10 (good). All scores are from May 25, 2010.

What are you listening to?

What new albums or songs are in heavy rotation on your MP3 player? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Comments (24)

Yeasayer – Odd Blood (#1), Broken Bells – s/t (#2), David Byrne and Fatboy Slim – Here Lies Love, LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening, Foals – Total Life Forever, The Black Keys – Brothers, Band of Horses – Infinite Arms and Beach House – Teen Dream are all in the Top 10 so far.

Brent H

Jun 17, 2010 12:15AM

Jonsi's "Go" is my favorite of the year so far. It's joyous music that takes me somewhere else. "Go" is followed closely by Rufus Wainwright's "All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu", M.I.A.'s "Maya, Mumford &amp; Sons' "Sigh No More" and Robyn's new EP is fantastic. After listening to the new Arcade Fire songs though, I have a sneaky suspicion that "The Suburbs" might be the record to beat this year.

Brian

Jun 6, 2010 11:23AM

LCD Soundsystem gets the slight nod over The National if for no other reason than tracks 4 (All I Want) &amp; 9 (Home) are more spectacular than anything on High Violet. The Radio Dept's "Clinging to a Scheme" isn't getting the love it deserves. And you guys have totally forgotten about Delorean's "Subiza". In fact, there are no reviews for Delorean albums on Metacritic -- a glaring omission.

JLR

Jun 6, 2010 12:02AM

Beach House - Teen Dream is amazing and Joanna Newsom's Have one on me is second.

Aex Cho

Jun 5, 2010 5:24AM

Yeasayer - Odd Blood (#1), Broken Bells - s/t (#2), David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love, LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening, Foals - Total Life Forever, The Black Keys - Brothers, Band of Horses - Infinite Arms and Beach House - Teen Dream are all in the Top 10 so far. The National's High Violet is growing on me too.

Joseph

Jun 4, 2010 9:06PM

Re: The Black Keys, Brothers: "What they didn’t: The album’s 115 minutes go on too long, and the newer production polish isn’t for everyone." Mine is only 55 minutes and it's certainly not to long.

Fretless94

Jun 4, 2010 8:16PM

Pendulum's Immersion album! DONT FORGET THEM!

Ryan

Jun 3, 2010 2:58PM

I don't know about anyone else, but for me so far the album I think is closest to "classic" is Mr. Paul Weller's REMARKABLE Wake Up The Nation. Teen Dream also blew me away, but lets give the ex-Jam man some props

Christopher

May 30, 2010 9:25AM

Thanks for the recommendation of Hadestown. I would have been pissed had I missed on this. The album is great.

Chris

May 30, 2010 7:38AM

Janelle Monae, The National, and LCD Soundsystem's albums are all better than pretty much anything that's come out since 2007. Amazing month of new releases. Also Anais Mitchell's Hadestown, which isn't even on Metacritic yet!